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RiflesWordle, originally uploaded by down138.

BMRC – Rifles

I see the rifles coming over the hill
And if you shout maybe they stop and won’t kill
But if you think like me
You’ll be as dead as he

I see the lion crawling over your bed
And if you stay he’ll make you walk in your bed
To what you’re gonna be
It never lets you be

I see the colour in your eyes
I see the images I own
I see more colour in your eyes
Than the reflections from purple skies

I won’t let you take him away
And I won’t give to you the fires of hate
So I will never see
What you’ve done to me

I see the colour in your eyes
I see the images I own
I see more colour in your eyes
Than the reflections from purple skies

Now
You come alive
With the world at your side

Now
You come alive
With the world at your side

I see the rifles coming over the hill
And if you shout maybe they stop and won’t kill
But if you think like me
You’ll be as dead as he
Some day

I see the colour in your eyes
I see the images I own
I see more colour in your eyes
Than the reflections from purple skies

Now
You come alive
With the world at your side

Now
You come alive
With the world at your side

Popmatters: Eschewing the happy-go-lucky, Euro-trashy tones of their previous efforts (early signature tune “Heartbeats” was a minor hit for the duo overseas and was covered to nauseatingly sweet effect by Jose Gonzales), brother and sister Olof Dreijer and Karin Dreijer Anderson have opted to construct a dazzling, dark, slickly-produced little record that thumps with club-ready bass flourishes and the metallic sheen of electro-clash that, for once during the genre’s arrival, doesn’t sound contrived or blasé. The pair conduct a sort of twilight séance that invokes the spirits of the Goth-rock, hyper-produced 1980s sounds, the kind that just about every band that starts with the word “The” is going for these days: “retro” distortion squeals, tinny, haunted house synths and organs (reminiscent of fellow countrymen Army of Lovers’ 1992 cheese-festMassive Luxury Overdose, minus the self-seriousness), and a stomping army of factory-made industrial percussion that destroys everything in it’s path. The clever thing about Silent Shout, though, is that it seems unintentional and organic. There is a thematic coherence present throughout the album’s entirety that is polished and professional and madly creative; the twosome’s experiments with melody and vocal effects are inspiringly novel. This is easily the year’s best sound and image overhaul, which somehow creates an unclassifiable new genre of music in its wake.

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The Innocence Mission – We Walked in Song

From CD Baby:

Opening with a pristinely simple yet profound song, “Brotherhood of Man,” commemorating the random and synchronistic, yet unforgettably meaningful, passing moments that connect total strangers in our world, Karen Peris again transfixes and lulls her listeners with her folk magic: her combination of voice and songwriting. No stranger to her fans, however, is her gift to freeze a listener in their tracks, emotionally spellbound. Her partly whimsical, partly passionate muse casts an analgesic spell over a troubled mind and soul, decompressing an overwhelmed spirit, soothing a traumatized heart, allowing the space to once again breathe in the mysterious, to deeply drink again from the gloriously bittersweet elixir of our human existence; as Peris puts it, this “beautiful life, full of grieving.” Not surprisingly, We Walked in Song, is chillingly reminiscent of her opening track in the way the album reaches out to soothe and inspire, lifting the chins of whomever might happen to hear, planting a seed of hope, offering a reminder that there is something precious and tender to believe in. From beginning to end, her songwriting is as exquisite and perhaps, even more intimate than previous releases, mirroring her sweetly-tattered voice, clinging at the purpose of life, embodying a longing as organic as the seed’s yearning for the springtime. Like a soul who has been kicked around and knocked about in life and yet still somehow refuses to be jaded or disillusioned, like a heart whose wrinkles and age spots make it all the more beautiful, Peris captures the dreamer that lives in all of us, regardless of what life has brought us.  author: Tamara Turner, CD Baby

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Obama Biden, Oakland Riots, originally uploaded by Thomas Hawk.

This is one of the most powerful images I have seen from here at home recently.

The shattered glass and burnt husk of a car is in sharp contrast with the Obama/Biden sticker. It shows that no matter how much hope and optimism you can project, America still has it’s problems and they aren’t washed away by slogans and speeches. It takes time, effort, and understanding from all.

From Almost Cool:

Walls is the first full length from Sascha Ring (aka Apparat) since 2003′s Duplex, but it doesn’t mean that he’s been slacking in the past four years. His Silizium EP of a couple years back hinted at some new, exciting directions from the young artist and his Orchestra Of Bubbles collaboration with Ellen Allen in 2006 was a gem of a release, mingling techno, electro and pop music together in delightful ways.

Walls dips into a pretty wide variety of genres, with pieces that touch on everything from a minimal classical influence to more straight-up electronic pop goodness. The aforementioned are both touched on during the first two songs on the release, as “Not A Number” starts things off with overlapping Steve Reich-esque chimes, texture washes, and some layered strings. “Hailin’ From The Edge” is one of four songs on the release to feature Raz Ohara, who’s soulful voice is a nice offset to the more fragile and plain words of Ring. Musically, the track is one of the more thumping on the release, with a growling bass, sharp beats, string flourishes and all kinds of electronic background trickery.

From there out, the album veers back and forth from largely instrumental (although sometimes Ring contributes some wordless vocals), painterly electronic pieces that shimmer with texture and often crack with subtle beats. The two-part “Fractales” bursts out of the gate with a smooth dance pop feel before the second section pushes forward with a more chamber-influenced opening section before morphing into a wave of humming drone. “You Don’t Know Me” is one of the best tracks of this variety on the release, as a crunchy rhythm marches forward while strings, layers of electronics, and guitar feedback all peak in a glorious crescendo.

That said, it seems like most of the better songs on the release feature Ohara on vocals. “Headup” is one of these, skipping forward with crisp beats and a widescreen panorama of sheer textural sounds that build towards a blurry finale. With thirteen (fourteen if you count a hidden one after the closer) tracks running a clean hour in length, there are definitely a couple places on Walls that could have used a bit of trimming to make it a bit tighter (including the meandering “Birds” which arrives about halfway through and the aforementioned needless closing track). That’s nitpicking, though, and it’s still a pretty darn good release, with enough stunning moments to make up for a couple saggy spots.

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